The Georgetown University men's basketball team is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 4, hosting long-time BIG EAST Conference rival St. John's at Verizon Center. Tip-off at the team's downtown home is slated for 1 p.m.

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The Georgetown University men's basketball team is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 4, hosting long-time BIG EAST Conference rival St. John's at Verizon Center. Tip-off at the team's downtown home is slated for 1 p.m.

The game will be shown live on Fox Sports 1, with Justin Kutcher and Bill Raftery calling all of the action. Fans locally can tune in to the radio call of Rich Chvotkin on Sports Talk AM 570.

The meeting between Georgetown and St. John's, two of the longest rivals in the history of the BIG EAST Conference, will be the 100th all-time. SJU leads the head-to-head series, 53-46, but the Hoyas have a 12-4 record against the Red Storm since the 2004-05 season.

Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson and the Hoyas are also partnering with Men Against Breast Cancer (MABC) for an inaugural College Game Day on Saturday. Thompson plans to wear either a pink tie or shirt and his team will wear specially-designed Jordan Brand sneakers to promote breast cancer awareness. Men Against Breast Cancer (MABC) is the nation's first and only national 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization designed to provide targeted support services that educate and empower men to be effective caregivers when breast cancer strikes a female loved one. Since our founding in 1999, MABC has mobilized men across America, including under-served populations, to be active participants in the fight against breast cancer. Simply put, we help men be there for the women they love.

"Like many people, I have been touched by breast cancer and am proud to partner with Men Against Breast Cancer to endorse the work they do in guiding men through the caregiving process of supporting their loved ones," Thompson said.

Georgetown, winners of eight of its last nine games, improved to 9-3 overall and 1-0 in league play with a 61-54 win over DePaul on New Year's Eve.

Starks, who has scored in double figures 10 times this season, leads the team in scoring with 16.3 points per game and leads the team with 4.2 assists per game, which ranks second in the BIG EAST. Starks ranks second in the BIG EAST in free throw percentage, connecting on 88.7 percent of his shots from the charity stripe (55-of-62).

Smith-Rivera is second on the team in scoring with 15.9 points per game, is shooting 45.7 percent from the floor and 43.3 percent from three-point land, while grabbing 4.7 rebounds and handing out 3.2 assists.

Junior center Joshua Smith (Kent, Wash./Kentwood/UCLA) is third on the team in scoring with 12.1 points per game, fourth on the team with 3.2 rebounds and leads the BIG EAST in field goal percentage, connecting on 69.2 percent of his field goals. Junior forward Mikael Hopkins (Hyattsville, Md./DeMatha) is fifth on the team in scoring with 6.8 points and second on the team with 5.6 rebounds, while senior forward Nate Lubick (Southborough, Mass./St. Marks) is averaging 5.8 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game. Junior forward Jabril Trawick (Philadelphia, Pa./Abington Friends) is averaging 7.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

The Hoyas rank fourth in the BIG EAST in scoring offense (75.5 points per game) and are tied for first the league in field goal percentage, connecting on 49.1 percent of their shots.

The team has been solid defensively, ranking second in the league in field goal percentage defense (38.0 percent) and first in three-point field goal percentage defense (28.5 percent). Georgetown ranks No. 19 in the country in field goal percentage defense and No. 23 in the country in three-point field goal percentage defense.